Five Valladolid fans who abused the Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior have been given suspended prison sentences, in what La Liga described as a landmark ruling that condemned racist insults hurled in a football stadium as a hate crime.
The case goes back to Madrid’s 2-0 win in December 2022 at Real Valladolid’s José Zorrilla Stadium, during which several fans hurled racist abuse at the Brazilian. The individuals were later identified using images and videos published on social media.
A court in Valladolid convicted the fans and sentenced them to one year in prison and fines of up to €1,620 (£1,364). The prison sentences were suspended on the condition that the defendants do not commit further offences and refrain from entering stadiums hosting official national competitions for the next three years.
The ruling was hailed by La Liga, which described it as an “unprecedented milestone in the fight against racism in sports in Spain”.
Previously, courts had considered racist chants to be an offence against moral integrity, with race as an aggravating factor. “The fact that this ruling explicitly refers to hate crimes associated with racist insults reinforces the message that intolerance has no place in football,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.
The view was echoed by Real Madrid. In recent months, courts in Spain had handed down sentences over racist abuse at stadiums in Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, as well as Vallecas Stadium in Madrid, the club said in a statement. The ruling from Valladolid, however, felt different. “On this occasion, the hate crime convictions represent a unique recognition of the offensive nature of these behaviours.”
Vinícius, 24, has long been at the forefront of fighting racism in La Liga after being subjected to racist abuse at more than 10 Spanish grounds. Last year he laid bare the toll exacted by years of racist insults, saying the abuse was chipping away at his desire to play.
In recent months his efforts have yielded progress. Late last year police in Spain arrested four men accused of coordinating an online hate campaign against him. In 2023, four people were arrested over accusations of hanging an effigy of Vinícius from a Madrid bridge.
In November he again addressed his fight against racism, describing it as a continuing battle that he was happy to take on, but adding that he “can’t fight all that Black people have been suffering” alone.
Luka Modric will leave Real Madrid after the Club World Cup. The 39-year-old, who joined in 2012, has played almost 600 games for the club and won nearly 30 trophies, including a record six Champions League titles and four La Liga trophies.
His last match at the Bernabéu will be Madrid’s final league game against Real Sociedad. “The time has come,” the midfielder wrote on Instagram. “The moment I never wanted to come, but that’s football, and in life everything has a beginning and an end … On Saturday I will play my last match at the Santiago Bernabéu.
“Playing for Real Madrid changed my life as a football player and as a person. I am proud to have been part of one of the most successful eras of the best club in history. Although, after the Club World Cup, I will no longer wear this shirt on the pitch, I will always be a Madridista.”
